Pontiac School District #429 social worker Aprile O’Keefe said they have had more families in need of assistance this year than any other year she can remember. They also have received more coats and clothes than normal and all have been given to families — some of whom have never been in this situation before.

“They’ve had job loss or hours have been cut,” said O’Keefe. “We have kids who come to school and have outgrown their cloths from the year before and their parents can’t afford to give them new clothes. Or they only have one or two pairs of long-sleeved shirts or pants and they wear them over and over. Sometimes the kids will approach us, but a lot of times it’s the parents.”

As the needs in the district have grown, Pontiac Rotary and the Pontiac Township High School Interact clubs have also stepped in to help.

“We really appreciate how the community organizations come together and help us and the kids in so many ways,” said Shelly Murphy, school nurse for both Lincoln and Central schools. “We fill a lot of different needs over the school year and any time we can help a child do their best is always a nice experience.”

At conference time this year, the district let parents know they had coats available for students who were in need.

“Sometimes, we see kids who don’t have a coat and we check in with the parents or if it’s too cold out, we just give them a coat,” said O’Keefe. “We rarely have any parents refuse, but we have a lot more people this year calling and asking for assistance.”

The schools see an almost even amount of boys and girls in need of clothing. They give out a lot of shoes, socks and other pieces of clothing and because of this, donations from places like the PTHS Interact Club are especially well received because a lot of those clothes are name brands. Murphy said some of those popular brands are things the school could not provide otherwise.

Organizations like the Salvation Army allow the school district to call them up if they need something specific for a student. Other companies in town provide the school district with donations every month that have been set aside specifically for the district. Schools have also taken buses of students out to the Caring Closet at Pontiac Bible Church to find clothes.

“There are lots of different resources that have come to us and offered to help us,” said O’Keefe. “So if we see children with needs, they are happy to help us fill some of those needs.”

Page 2 of 2 - Anyone who would like to make a donation to the school district can simply call up a school and arrange a time to drop off clothing. Both O’Keefe and Murphy said the district is currently in need of shoes, winter boots and sweatpants, all in a variety of sizes, and socks.

“We appreciate anything anybody gives us. The kids definitely need it and appreciate it,” said Murphy. “There is a need at all four of the schools and we really appreciate that people have been taking the time to go to garage sales and bring us coats, buy brand new coats, adopt families for Christmas, or just call and tell us to let them know if a family needs something. Sometimes people will give us donations of clothes their kids have outgrown … and it’s very helpful.”

Murphy said they are constantly finding ways to supply the demands of the students. She gave a recent example where an anonymous donor gave both a boy’s and a girl’s coat to Lincoln Elementary School. Murphy and O’Keefe agreed that when they offer a child a coat, the child is thrilled to have the chance to pick it out.

“It is very exciting for them,” said O’Keefe. “They ask when they will be able to pick out the coat, hat and gloves. It usually just makes their day because aside from being warm, they don’t usually get a lot of new things. So, that really carries over and it really makes them feel cared for. The school is taking care of their needs; we like that.”